Microsoft releases WSL as open source, announces CLI text editor to replace the MS-DOS Editor

Today we’re very excited to announce the open-source release of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. This is the result of a multiyear effort to prepare for this, and a great closure to the first ever issue raised on the Microsoft/WSL repo: Will this be Open Source? · Issue #1 · microsoft/WSL.

That means that the code that powers WSL is now available on GitHub at Microsoft/WSL and open sourced to the community! You can download WSL and build it from source, add new fixes and features and participate in WSL’s active development.
↫ Pierre Boulay at the Windows Blogs

Windows Subsystem for Linux seems like a relatively popular choice for people who want a modern, Linux-based development environment but are stuck using Windows. I’m happy to see Microsoft releasing it as open source, which is no longer something to be surprised by at this point in time. It leaves one to wonder how long it’s going to be before more parts of Windows will be released as open source, since it could allow Microsoft’s leadership to justify some serious job cuts.

I honestly have no idea how close to the real thing Windows Subsystem for Linux is, and if it can actually fully replace a proper Linux installation, with all the functionality and performance that entails. I’m no developer, have no interest in Windows, so I’ve never actually tried it. I’d love to hear some experiences from all of you.

Aside from releasing WSL as open source, Microsoft also released a new command-line text editor – simply called Edit. It’s also open source, in its early stages, and is basically the equivalent of Nano. It turns out 32bit versions of Windows up until Windows 10 still shipped with the MS-DOS Editor, but obviously that one needed a replacement. It already has support for multiple documents, mouse support, and a few more basic features.